Wednesday, May 25, 2016

First sentence: I love art! It's my imagination on the outside. So little time, so much to draw.

Premise/plot: Readers meet Louise, a little girl, who LOVES art. Actually, she loves art and Art. One day Louise creates a masterpiece. But. Before she can properly hang it in the gallery (on the refrigerator), her little brother Art gets a hold of it...with a pair of scissors. What will happen next?!?!

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. I love Louise. I love Art. I love how their characterization comes through both in the text and in the art. I even love their cat. Her masterpiece is a drawing of their cat, and she finally captured his cat-ness. The use of language is wonderful. For example, "I've done it. So fierce! So feline! So fantastic...a masterpiece." I love the little details too. (For example, the "Herman Hermit" Louise passes on her way to the kitchen. The way Art is watching her create at the beginning, and actually drawing alongside her at the end. The use of color). And I love the double meaning of the title. It was very clever to name the little brother, Art!!!

Watch the Emily Arrow video. (I love the doll! Oh, how I wished I had one!!)

About Me

Becky from Becky's Book Reviews, Young Readers, and and Operation Actually Read Bible. I love reading. Always have, always will.
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are mine and mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of my friends, family, or other group affiliations. Email me at laney_poATyahooDOTcom
No one has permission to reprint my reviews on their own site. Even if they give me a link.

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Review Policy

I am interested in reviewing books and audio books. This blog focuses on books written for middle grade on up (essentially 10 to a 110). I review middle grade fiction and young adult fiction (aka tween and teen).

I also review adult books.

I read in a variety of genres including realistic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, romance, science fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, and chick lit. (I've read one western to date.)

I read a few poetry books, a few short story collections, a few graphic novels, a few nonfiction books.

I am especially fond of:

Regency romances (including Austen prequels/sequels)

Historical fiction set in the Tudor dynasty

Historical fiction and nonfiction set during World War II

Jewish fiction/nonfiction

dystopias

apocalyptic fiction

science fiction (especially if it involves time travel and alternate realities)

westerns (if it's a pioneer story with women and children, then maybe)

extremely violent books with blood, blood, and more blood

I am more interested in strong characters, well-written, fleshed-out, human characters. Plot is secondary to me in a way. I have to care about the characters in order to care about the plot. That being said, compelling storytelling is something that I love. I love to become absorbed in what I'm reading.

If you're interested in sending me a review copy of your book, I'm happy to hear from you. Email me at laney_po AT yahoo DOT com.

You should know several things before you contact me:

1) I do not guarantee a review of your book. I am just agreeing to consider it for review.2) I give all books at least fifty pages.3) I am not promising anyone (author or publisher) a positive review in exchange for a review copy. That's not how I work.4) In all of my reviews I strive for honesty. My reviews are my opinions--so yes, they are subjective--you should know my blog will feature both negative and positive reviews.5) I do not guarantee that I will get to your book immediately. I've got so many books I'm trying to read and review, I can't promise to get to any one book in a given time frame.6) Emailing me every other week to see if I've read your book won't help me get to it any faster. Though if you want to email me to check and see if it arrived safely, then that's fine!

Authors, publishers. I am interested in interviewing authors and participating in blog tours. (All I ask is that I receive a review copy of the author's latest book beforehand so the interview will be productive. If the book is part of a series, I'd like to review the whole series.) Contact me if you're interested.